In order to improve the numerical simulation accuracy in metal cutting process, material constitutive equation and tool-chip friction characteristics were investigated. For the aluminum alloy 7050-T7451 material, the method of Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar(SHPB) was used to confirm the material constitutive equation. The orthogonal cutting experiment was used to form the curve of tool-chip friction. Material constitutive equation and the coefficient of tool-chip fiction were input into the secondary development of the AdvantEdge FEM software, the variation law of typical characteristics of chip thickness, shear angle, strain and strain rate with cutting parameters were researched in metal cutting process. The results showed that typical characteristics of cutting process was predicted accurately by numerical simulation method proposed, the accuracy of numerical simulation can be improved significantly when appropriate material constitutive equation and coefficient of tool-chip were input in the AdvantEdge FEM software.
